Join Malcolm, Kate and Marissa as they host the Groves first Q&A episode. They will answer a variety of questions posed by youth at our hubs.
Join Malcolm, Kate and Marissa as they host the Groves first Q&A episode. They will answer a variety of questions posed by youth at our hubs.
Hey folks, welcome back to the Get with the growth Podcast. I'm Malcolm.
Kate:I'm Kate.
Marissa:And I'm Marissa.
Malcolm:For this week's ep isode, we have collected some questions from youth at our different hubs. And we will be picking some to answer in our very first q&a episode. Also, make sure you tune in on December 15, for our episode on seasonal depression, where we will share some tips and tricks on how to maintain your wellness in these cold months. All right, folks. So our very first question we have here is when did the grove start?
Kate:So the grove started in 2021. And the first location was in Erin, and then shortly after the Fergus and the Palmerston location opened that year, and it's helping to bring more accessible mental health services to youth in our community. And then our second question is, how does a grove get money for food and other things.
Marissa:So the grove does not just receive funding from the government, we actually receive it from a variety of different sources. So we receive funding from organizations on our partnership table, including the Rotary Club of Guelph, CMHA, Waterloo, Wellington, YMCA, Minto, and a few more. We also apply for grants, and most importantly, we receive donations from community members and community organizations. And we also receive money from fundraisers or donations to our website. If you go into any of our hubs, you may see some plaques around the hub. So things like in Fergus, our space was donated by skyline. CIBC gave us a grant for art supplies, and the egg farmers donated funds for the kitchens in our sights. Shifting to a different topic, or next couple questions will be about school. So how do you pick classes for high school.
Kate:So in grade nine and 10, you're mostly doing required courses, and then grades 11 and 12. You some more electives, and focusing more on picking classes to help you towards post secondary. every school is different, but in our personal experiences, our high schools had us do a course selection worksheet, we just filled in whatever courses we selected, and then handed it into our guidance counselor, just make sure you hand it in on time.
Malcolm:One thing I want to quickly mention is it is super important to look at the prerequisites needed for whatever university or college program you want to apply to. It's important that you have the necessary credits to be allowed to apply. So I remember in grade 11, I was getting ready to apply to my Bachelor of Commerce at U of Guelph. And I realized that I didn't have the necessary math credits, so I had to take it during summer school online. So to avoid what I went through in high school, I highly recommend looking at the prerequisites beforehand, so that you have the right courses. Also make sure if you ever have any questions that you ask your guidance counselors, that's the their whole job. They're there to help you and they have a lot of helpful tips and tricks for you as well. All
Kate:right, and our next question is how do you apply to university.
Marissa:So you apply University online through Oh UAC, which is Ontario Universities Application Centre, there is a base fee of$156, which covers three applications. And then after that every application to a different school is $50 Each, make sure you apply to at least three schools to give yourself as many opportunities to get accepted to schools to apply to based off of more than just the program. You want to make sure that you like the environment you like the campus. Now you could see yourself studying there for up to four years. Also take advantage of Open House tours to see different universities to help you narrow down your choices of where you want to apply.
Malcolm:After you apply, you may get early acceptance. But when the university send out their regular acceptance letters, it may take a while so it is super important you stay positive while you wait. I know it was super stressful for me while I was waiting for my acceptance letters. So just make sure you're prioritizing your wellness in this time and I promise you they will come eventually and hopefully it's good news.
Marissa:Yeah, just to add on to what you're saying Malcolm some schools definitely do send out acceptance letters later than others. So if you haven't heard back from say your dream school or your top choice but you've heard back from others, just stay patient because you still might get your acceptance letter don't just choose a school because you heard back from them right away.
Malcolm:So for all you folks who may end up on the waitlist, I had a couple of programs I wanted to get into I was wait listed for and I was I was accepted a couple months later even though it was like a couple of weeks later for one of them so even if you are getting some waitlist letters, don't lose hope those those still give you a big chance to get in.
Marissa:Next we got asked how you pick classes for university.
Malcolm:each program at whatever university you're at So will have a program calendar that outlines your required courses for you for four to five years, so make sure you take a look at that. And that will basically show you for your first semester, the four courses that you need to take, and maybe it'll give you the chance to have an elective there. And then it'll say the next semester, you'll have another, maybe five courses, no elective, so it varies from program to program. But if you look at your calendar, that'll give you your base plan for each semester, what you've got to be applying to, for required courses, at least.
Kate:Also take advantage of some of the more fun courses you see as electives. If something seems interesting to you, and you have space on your calendar, why don't you take it, see how it works out for you. And it may even work out in your favor as your minor.
Malcolm:So the three of us are all USG students. But from our experience, we did all of our course selection one semester at a time through WebAdvisor. And yeah, basically, we just looked through all the different courses that were offered on WebAdvisor. And your outlook, which is your University of Guelph email, we'll be sending you all sorts of emails regarding when course selection is closed, and when it opens. So make sure you take a look at look at that. And you're applying at the right time so that the seats are an awful. All right, so moving on. Our next question is, how do meal plans work for university.
Kate:So each school has multiple different plans. Overall, decide what works best for you, depending on how often you're going to be on campus, the school should give you a rough idea regarding if you're going to be on campus all the time, home for the weekends, and other things like that. It's better to have more than less because money does carry over into the next year, you select which one you want on the school portal, and it's just added to your tuition that you pay at the beginning of the year, your student card doubles as your meal plan.
Malcolm:Yeah, I liked what you said there, Kate, I actually have a friend who goes to the University of Waterloo who still has money from their first year plan when they lived on campus. And they still use that to get snacks in between lectures, and they're in their final year. They're about to graduate, and they're still using that money. So I really recommend getting putting more money in than less, as Kate recommended, because it'll still be there as you continue your and your university career.
Kate:Yeah, for sure. Malcolm, I was still able to get Starbucks in my second year all the time. Our next question is what does a healthy friendship look like? So
Malcolm:there are many different ways to notice what a healthy friendship looks like. But one of the most important things that the three of us were chatting about before is, is healthy communication. So whether it be a girlfriend, best friend or regular friend, communication is always very important. If you're not able to communicate with a friend, then resentment can build up. So it's very important that you're able to communicate so that your friends and family know what you're thinking about them and what they're thinking about you and everything's on the table.
Marissa:Yeah, I agree. Malcolm communication is definitely one of the most important things for any friend for any relationship, especially friendships, especially when you're going to university maybe you're more of a long distance friendship. So communication is really great to help keep you connected. And healthy relationship is it's also super important to have respect for each other and who you are. A healthy friend is someone who supports you through all of your achievements and ups and downs. Yeah,
Malcolm:I totally agree. Marissa, I just wanted to quickly say that, since we're on the topic of university a bit earlier, once you head off to university or college, or perhaps you're leaving your hometown, you will find yourself growing apart with with some friends that is completely natural, just being apart is the main and thing that causes the ends of the lots of friendships. But also, I just want to say that even if you may not see a good friend of yours for several months, that doesn't mean that the friendships over, perhaps when you go back for Christmas, you can rekindle that friendship, maybe hang out a couple of times. Being in different cities than your close friends can can be a big change when you first head off. But trust me, just because you're in different cities doesn't mean that they're not your friend anymore. And as long as you're making time every once in a while, that can still you can still have very beneficial friendships. So
Marissa:on to our next question, how do you earn money or get a good job?
Kate:The easiest way to get a good job is to build your resume here at the Grove, we can actually help you with that and build a resume that employers are looking for. An easy way is just to go around the mall and hand out resumes to stores that are hiring. If you're able and allowed to have a job in high school, I think it's a great idea so that you can earn a bit of money for yourself and gain a little bit of independence. Yeah,
Malcolm:I totally agree. Kate, on the other end of that, in high school, I did a lot of volunteer work. You do have the required volunteer hours you need to graduate but I highly recommend getting a couple extra the required amount is a bit. It's not a huge amount and it can be very bad. beneficial to get some volunteer jobs onto your resume, for example, because people love to see a good worker who's willing to help places. And yeah, so I highly recommend volunteer work in high school as well. So, moving on to our final question of the episode, what does self care look like? So
Marissa:self care can look different for everyone. It's something that you dedicate time out of your day or week to take care of yourself and do something you enjoy. And it's super important for your physical and mental health.
Kate:Self care can be exercise, reading, doing a little pamper routine, watching your favorite show, cooking or ordering your favorite meal. I know for me, my self care mainly looks like taking a nice long shower, getting in bed and watching my favorite show.
Marissa:So I think that brings us to a close. Thank you everyone for tuning into this week's episode. And don't forget to check out our social media to stay up to date with what's going on at each hub. You can follow us at the growth hubs on Instagram, or check out our website at the growth hubs.ca. You can also check out our Twitter and Facebook both at the growth hubs. As always, be kind to your mind and we'll see you next time. Bye